


Dream

by timelordvictorious1



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Caring Thranduil, Gen, Good Parent Thranduil, Grief/Mourning, Parent Thranduil, Thranduil Not Being An Asshole, Toddler Legolas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23908384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timelordvictorious1/pseuds/timelordvictorious1
Summary: Little Legolas is sad after a bad dream and goes to his ada for comfort.
Relationships: Legolas Greenleaf & Thranduil, Thranduil/Thranduil's Wife
Comments: 2
Kudos: 108





	Dream

Thranduil was startled awake in the middle of the night by someone entering his room. There was only one person who would enter his room unannounced and at that time of night.

“Did you have a nightmare, _tithen pen_?” he asked without looking.

“No,” answered back a timid voice. 

Thranduil sat up to see Legolas with tears in his eyes as he clutched his favorite blanket and favorite stuffed animal. He noted that Legolas didn’t look frightened, just sad. Thranduil motioned for Legolas to join him in bed as he lit the candles on either side of the bed.

Legolas climbed into the massive bed silently and snuggled up next to his ada. He wasn’t ready to talk about what was bothering him, instead he chose to lie quietly next to his ada’s warmth.

Thranduil began running his fingers through Legolas’ hair. He didn’t want to pressure Legolas; he knew he’d speak when he felt ready. A few minutes later, Legolas finally broke the silence. “Ada, I had a dream,” he said tearfully.

“Was it a bad dream, _ion-nin_?

Legolas took time to consider his response. “No, it wasn’t bad. But it made me sad.”

“Why did it make you sad?” Thranduil asked with concern in his voice. Legolas didn’t usually have nightmares, and he had never come into Thranduil’s room in the middle of the night because a dream made him sad. 

“I don’t know.”

“What was the dream?”

“It was an elleth. She was very pretty. She had very long brown hair. And green eyes, like mine. She was so pretty, ada. I think she’s the prettiest elleth I’ve ever seen. And she looked nice too.”

Thranduil froze. He knew exactly who the elleth from Legolas’ dream was. What he didn’t know was how Legolas could have possibly dreamt about her. “Is that it, _las_?” 

“She was holding a baby. It was so small. It was wrapped in a blanket like mine. Who is she, ada?”

Thranduil hated these moments. As Legolas got older, he had started asking more and more questions about his naneth. Thranduil usually tried to brush him off or change the subject, anything to avoid talking about her. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his wife, quite the opposite. Just thinking about her caused him immeasurable grief, a feeling that was compounded when his elfling—who resembled her so much—asked about her. Thranduil knew it was selfish to hoard her memory like that. Afterall, however short the time that Thranduil had with Erynith, it was eons compared to what Legolas had spent with her.

“It sounds like your _naneth,_ ” he responded as he got out of bed. He decided that he couldn’t rebuff his son this time, not when it was causing him so much sadness. Thranduil walked into his closet to search for something. He knew exactly where it was; it was one of those things he purposely never dared to look at, but would never forget where he’d stored it.

Legolas tried processing his ada’s statement as he watched him slide his robes to one side and reach for a big wooden box that was perched on the tallest shelf of the closet. The box looked dusty, like it hadn’t been touched in years. 

Thranduil walked back to the bed and sat next to Legolas. He removed the lid from the box, coughing as dust that began flying about. “Look inside, Legolas.”

Legolas was amazed by the contents of the box. It contained an ornately carved wooden frame with a portrait inside. The portrait was of the same elleth that Legolas had seen in his dream, but she somehow looked even more beautiful and kinder—if that was even possible—than Legolas remembered. Her eyes were the greenest green he had ever seen, the color of dark forest leaves, just like his. She was even carrying the same baby she had been carrying in the dream, only the baby was a little bigger in the portrait than he had been in Legolas’ dream.

“Is this me?” he asked as he pointed to the infant.

“Yes, that’s you. You were about two months old there. And that’s your nana. Is that who you saw?”

“Yes. But she looks prettier here.”

Thranduil chuckled. “Do you know the story of my cousin, Luthien? She was supposed to be the fairest elleth who ever lived. _”_

“Yes, I know it.”

“Well, it’s not true. She wasn’t the fairest elleth, not by a longshot. Your nana was the most beautiful elleth in all of Arda. You have your nana’s eyes. The same shape and color. You look a great deal like her. She was kind, like you. It didn’t matter what kind of day you were having, she would always make it brighter just by being there. Just like you,” he said with tears in his eyes.

“Are you crying, ada?” Legolas had never seen his father cry before.

“No, _penneth_. It’s the dust from this box. It got in my eyes. You know, when you were a baby, your nana would lie on that side, I would lie here, and we put you in the middle. And the three of us would sleep together.”

Legolas mulled over his ada’s words until he got an idea.  
“We can do it again, ada!” said Legolas as he took the portrait out of the box. He settled it on one side of the bed. Since the portrait was nearly as big as he was, it took a great deal of effort to get it into place. After securing the portrait on the other side of the bed, he settled himself in between his nana and ada. “See, ada! Now the three of us can sleep together! Just like before!”

“That’s a great idea, _tithen las,_ ” said Thranduil as he gave Legolas a kiss on the cheek.

Legolas blew out the candles, again settled himself into the bed again, and said goodnight to both of his parents. Legolas wasn’t sad anymore because for the first time since she was killed, he’d be able to sleep between his nana and his ada again.


End file.
